Dior leather with a gravitational pull
Created by Kim Jones, the French house’s newest leather collection is as practical as it is aspirational. Here, it’s modelled by Korean pop sensation Cha Eun Woo

EMBOSSED DETAILS have been a hallmark of Dior savoir-faire for some time. But the house’s new collection of leather goods for men, Dior Gravity, pushes the art of embossing into a whole new realm. Dreamt up by men’s artistic director Kim Jones, the collection features backpacks, messenger bags, weekenders and the wildly popular B33 and B27 sneakers, with the Dior ‘Oblique’ motif embossed using a unique technique that delicately marks the leather using the action of gravity. How’s that for clever.
When it comes to balancing craftsmanship with innovation, it’s Dior’s ability to innovate age-old techniques – like embossing – that makes it a truly contemporary brand. So it makes sense that recently, Dior teamed up with an equally innovative talent, the Korean pop star Cha Eun Woo, for a photoshoot that highlights Dior Gravity, as well as pieces from the brand’s latest autumn 2024 ready to wear collection.

If you’re a stranger to Cha Eun Woo, you’re in the minority. The pop star has over 45 million followers on Instagram, and, as a member of the wildly popular boy band Astro, is one of global pop music’s biggest rising stars. Earlier this year, he also released his first mini-album as a solo artist. According to Kpop news source, Allkpop, ‘ENTITY’ topped charts in over 20 countries and accumulated more than 200,000 album sales within the first week. Talk about star power.
Cha Eun Woo isn’t just a star musician. The 27-year-old is also a talented actor, having started his career in the limelight with a role on 2014 South Korean drama My Brilliant Life. On set with Dior, his ability to captivate an audience and immerse himself in a role was clear. No wonder the French luxury house counts him among their closest friends.


Of the autumn 2024 collection, which includes Dior Gravity pieces, Kim Jones says: “There is a certain art deco fluidity and glamour in this collection [and] there is also an idea of the future from the past. A feeling of ‘louchness’, of pleasure, particularly the pleasure of dressing, is all part of it. It’s about simplicity and sophistication through ease. At its heart, the collection is about tailoring, it’s about suiting and what that signifies at Dior. We have absorbed so much of the archive by this point and we also have our own archive that we revisit. I think it adds to a feeling of elegance and effortlessness in what we’re doing. It’s not just about the past, but about bringing techniques into the future – it’s an idea of future archive.”
Of all the items from the collection, it’s the B33 Sneakers that really catch our eye. A reinterpretation of the classic tennis shoe with a slightly chunkier sole, it’s on the grained calfskin versions that the embossed Dior Oblique monogram really stands out.
We have a feeling Cha Eun Woo would agree.
Scroll on to see the full photoshoot starring the South Korean superstar.



Related:
Dior Men, Kim Jones, and the art of cosmic couture
Past to present: why Dior’s summer 2024 men’s collection is one for the books




Shop the full Dior Gravity collection here.
Editor / Directing : Keon Lim
Styling: Hyerim Im
Styling assistant: Kim Jung-Ho
Art direction: Ju Jeong-Hwa
Photography: Park Jongha
Grooming: by Lee Il-Jung
Makeup: by Ahn Sung-Hee
Nails: Kim Su-Ji
This photoshoot originally appeared in Esquire Korea.